Leisl Matters... 4,925 days missing

About this episode

The episode discusses the disappearance of Leisl Smith and her mother's ongoing quest for answers.

When 23-year-old Leisl Smith left home on the New South Wales Central Coast on August 19, 2012, she told her father she’d be back by five to feed her animals. She never returned. In this episode of  The Missing Matter , Leisl's mother, Sandi Harvey, shares the story of the quirky, animal-loving young woman who preferred horses and swimming pools to crowded rooms—and the day her life changed forever. What began as a routine meeting near Tuggerah Railway Station would become the start of a mystery that still haunts her family more than a decade later. Leisl was reported missing days after she vanished, and the investigation that followed would stretch across ten years, uncovering disturbing inconsistencies and ultimately leading police to charge the man they believed responsible. With the verdict sealed by law and Leisl still missing, Sandi has been left navigating a grief without resolution. Yet her determination to speak, to push for change and to bring Leisl home has never wavered. Because Leisl matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Podshape

Guest: Sandi Harvey

Topics covered

• missing persons
• true crime
• family grief
• investigation
• mystery
• advocacy

Keywords

• Leisl Smith
• missing person
• Sandi Harvey
• New South Wales
• true crime
• investigation
• grief
• mystery

Mentioned in this episode

Places: New South Wales, Tuggerah Railway Station

More episodes of The Missing Matter

• Did a rapist kill my mum? · June 10, 2026 · 16 min
• Ep 3 -You know I killed Mum don't you? · June 7, 2026 · 17 min
• Katie Vanishes · June 4, 2026 · 25 min
• What Happened to ...Kathleen O'Shea · June 2, 2026 · 24 min
• Ep 4 -I'm not chasing the psychics, the psychics are coming to me · May 31, 2026 · 17 min
• Ep 3 - Those Left Behind · May 26, 2026 · 20 min